The Common Core State Standards as well as many state standards require students write short research projects. This can be an overwhelming and frustrating assignment for many students in the upper elementary grades. Due to this, all fourth through sixth graders at our school begin research projects in January using the same note taking method. While this is not the only method for note taking, it works beautifully with this age range. Once sixth graders have graduated from elementary school, they have created a minimum of three research projects using this method, most have created more, and are proficient in this method.Continue Reading
Read ‘Ten Interesting Facts . . .The Holocaust’ online or through this printable handout.
ReRaoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg was the First Secretary to the Swedish Embassy in Budapest in July 1944. He is credited with rescuing more Jewish people during the Holocaust than any other person or nation. Wallenberg rescued around 100,000 people. He did this by issuing “protective passports.” Wallenberg also rented over 30 buildings to house Jewish refugees. In front of these buildings, he flew the Swedish flag. He also put up fake signs reading “The Swedish Research Institute.”Continue Reading
Studying the American Civil War can be fascinating. Read these ten interesting facts. Below you will find links to a printable version. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find a staggered flip chart organizer and timeline to use during your study of the Civil War.
In August 1863 while Abraham Lincoln was heading home from the White House, someone took a shot at him. The bullet went through his hat. Lincoln asked the guards to keep the incident quiet because he did not want to worry his wife.Continue Reading
RAFT is a writing strategy to help students focus on four areas of communication. RAFT is an acronym for the following:
Role of the Writer – The role is the perspective. Is the writer the President of the United States, a fifth-grade small-town student, a famous athlete, or any number of people? The role might include animals or inanimate objects such as toys. Continue Reading
Collaborative learning enhances student learning. Working together is an effective teaching method. It may be used with a variety of assignments. Small group activities can also be incorporated into many unit lessons. Students learn a lot by interacting with one another. So, why are teachers hesitant in using this teaching strategy? It is time-consuming to plan and often messy to implement. However, the benefits of collaborative groups far outweigh the planning time that goes into getting activities ready, especially if you follow this simple, easy method for grouping students.
In this post, I’m going to share you can turn collaborative grouping from complex to simple. Learn how one hour of organization will make transitioning your class into group activities simple.Continue Reading
